Desk-light.



No. 790,809. PATENTED MAY 23, 1905. T. SMITH.

DESK LIGHT.

l APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 29, 1904.

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No. 700,800. I PATENTBD MAY 2s, 1905.

' T. SMITH.

DESK LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1904.

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Naf 790,809.

STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

THEODORE SMITH, yOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DESK-LIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,809, dated May 23, 1905.

Application iled January 29, 19011. Serial No. 191,130.

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, THEoDoRE SMITH, a citi- Zen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Desk-Lights, of which the following is a speciiication.

- Myinvention relates to certain new and useful improvements in desk-lights; and its object is to produce a device of this class which shall have certain advantages which will appear more fully and at large in the course ofv this specification.

To this end my invention consists in certain novel features of construction, which are clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification.

In the aforesaid drawings, Figure l is a perspective of the top of a desk, showing my improved desk-light thereon. Fig. 2 isa central longitudinal vertical section through a portion of the supporting-arm of my improved light, the section being in the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan of my improved'desklight when pushed into the inclosing chamber, the desk being cut away in horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. t is aperspective of the bracket of my device which is attached directly to the desk. Fig. 5 is a transverse section in the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, and

' Fig. 6 is a perspective of a portion of the supporting-arm. I

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the upper part of a desk of the ordinary roll-top construction having a plurality of pigeonholes or similar receptacles. The object of my invention is to produce a device which can be supported on this part of the desk and which when out of use can be pushed back into one of the pigeonholes. The wall of the pigeonhole to which my improved lamp is secured is indicated in the drawings by (o, in the opposite wall by a. To the wall a is secured a bracket B, the form of which is clearly indicated in Fig. 4. This bracket is peculiarly simple and convenient in construction and very cheap. It will be seen that it is made from a length of square tubing, the tube being cut open at its corners and three of its sides being turned outward to form ears.

This forms a bracket having three supporting-ears in the same plane and a centrallyprojecting portion upon which any desired device can be hinged. I make this bracket with only three ears, so that it can be placed very close to the forward edge of the pigeonhole. To the bracket B is pivoted a link C, which is the first link of a jointed flexible arm. Thislink C in the preferred form of construction is in the form of a hollow square tube having its lateral faces cut away at the ends to leave projecting ears on the upper and lower Walls of the tube. The projecting ears at the end of the link C adjacent to the bracket B lie one above and one below the same andare held in place by a screw c, the lower end of which enters a stiffening-plate C' on the lower surface of the link C near the endthereof This plate, it is to be noted, is

perforated near one end to receive an insulating-thimble c,-through which an electric `cord can pass and enter the link C. The screw c, where it passes through the bracketB, is surrounded by a sleeve b, which is soldered or otherwise secured at its ends to the upper and lower walls of the bracket B. This sleeve serves toA stiffen the bracket B when the screw c is tightened up. y

The next succeeding link of the flexible arm is indicated in the drawings by D. This link is similar in form to the link C, but is made of tubing slightly smaller, so thatthe projecting ears of the link D will lie inside the corresponding ears on the link C without bending either of the ears. To the opposite end of the link D is secured a second link similar to the link C, then a link similar to the link D, and so on, to form an arm of any desired length. The link D is secured to the link C and to the succeeding link by screws Z and CZ, which pass through the upper and lower ears of the links, respectively. The screws (Z are connected outside of the ears on the links C by braces E, and the screws d' are similarly connected by braces E. These braces, it will IOO this tendency, caused by the unequal lengths of the braces, counterbalances any tendency there otherwise would be for thev free end of the arm to sag. When the arm is in its normal position with a lamp in place, the arm takes a straight position; but if it is removed from its position so that it supportsnof weight it will be seen that it bows up slightly on account of the unequal bracing at the top and bottom. The ends of the screws d d are preferably headed up slightly to prevent them from being unscrewed by the swinging ofv the links upon each other. To the outer link of the iexible arm is pivoted a universal joint F of the form fully set forth, described, and claimed in my application for patent on brackets for electric lights, filed December 22, 1903, and allotted Serial No. 186,226, and this universal joint supports a lamp-socket, lamp, and shade of the ordinary construction The cord runs from the lamp-socket through the hollow links of the iieXible arm and out through the thimble c, and from thence it may run toa tube, as at G, through whichit can be conducted to the side of the desk. This particular manner of carrying the cord out of the desk is of course not material to my invention, but serves the purpose in a safe and convenient manner.

The operation of this device will be readily apparent. When the arm and lamp are in the posi-tion indicated in Fig. l and it is desired to push the lamp into the pigeonhole, all that is necessary is to push the lampv toward the pigeonhole, guiding the arm slightly by hand if necessary. The link adjacent to the bracket B will swing around against the wall a of the pigeonhole, and the other links in succession will swing around against the wall ct in the same way, the arm being forced into a comparatively straight position along the wall a of the pigeonhole. This move ment is facilitated by the fact. that in bending the links contact with the opposite wall a of the pigeonhole, this wall thus forming a guide. It is to be noted, too, that they links are so arranged that they can' only bend at angles of ninety degrees to each other and that consequently any sharp curves in the arm are impossible. When the lamp is pushed intol place, it will be seenit is entirely outA of the way. When it is desired to draw it out, all that is necessary to do is to pull on the lamp, and this will cause the links to swing upon each other in succession from the back, thus letting the lamp swing into the position indicated in Fig. 1. When the lamp is in this position, it is free to rotate about the bracket B, and, furthermore, being flexible, it can be placed in any desired lateral position, thus securing the utmost freed om of movement. The universal joint F permits the lamp to be tilted upward or downward,iand the shade can be turned upon the lamp-socket to throw the relection from the lamp in any direction.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of this construction without departing from thespirit of the invention, and I therefore do not intend to limit myself to the specific form herein shown and described.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination with a suitable receptacle, of a suitable bracket secured to one of the side walls of the same, a flexible arm secured to the bracket and rotatable thereon in a horizontal plane only, said arm consisting of a plurality of hollow tubular links, square in cross-section, rotatable with respect to each other in a horizontal plane only and having means for limiting their rotation with respect to each other, and a lamp secured to theouter end of said arm.

2. The combination with a suitable receptacle, a bracketsecu red to one of the walls thereof, and an arm consisting of hollow links, square in cross-section, and having at their ends projecting horizontal ears pivoted together, and a plurality of braces outside of thelinks,the braces on the lower'sides of said links being of greater'length than the braces on the upper sides thereof, of a lamp secured to the outer'end of said arm.

In witnesswhereof I have signed the above application for Letters Patent, atChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 26th day of January, A. D. 1904;.

THEODORE SMITH.

Witnesses:

CHAs. O. SHERVEY, RUSSELL WILus. 

